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Bolts' Helenius Placed On Unconditional Waivers

Analysis: The Bolts placed Riku Helenius on waivers after the two sides came to a mutual agreement to terminate the goalie's contract. He'll presumably look for work overseas, but probably won't land in a high-level league after posting a horrendous 6.08 GAA over four games with ECHL Florida.

Bolts Demote Helenius To ECHL

News:Riku Helenius has accepted an assignment to Florida of the ECHL after sitting out the last two weeks, reports the Syracuse Post-Standard. He is 2-3 with a 3.43 GAA and .875 save percentage with the AHL Syracuse Crunch.

Analysis: "He was disappointed," his agent Jay Grossman said of Riku Helenius' initial reaction about the demotion. "But at this point, it's pretty clear he needs to be playing." Helenius has not played since Nov. 27 after being pushed down the depth chart after the promotion of Kristers Gudlevskis and was sent home by the Lightning after refusing the initial ECHL assignment two weeks ago.

Bolts' Prospect Helenius Impresses Coach

News:Riku Helenius has impressed the Lightning's goalie coach with his progress since the start of training camp, reports the Tampa Bay Times. "I like the improvement I've seen since the start of training camp. His battle level is really high right now," said coach Frantz Jean. "He came in tentative and trying to be a little bit too technical. Now, he's really battling out there and making saves that are unexpected."

Analysis: Before a rough outing on Dec. 9, Riku Helenius was 5-1-0 in his previous six games with a 1.98 GAA and .914 save percentage. He still has a long way to go to recover his prospect status, but this is a nice beginning.

Goaltender Helenius: Back On Tampa's Radar?

News:Riku Helenius may be back on Tampa's radar screen after leading his team to the Finnish Elite League championship, reports the Tampa Tribune.

Analysis: Don't hold your breath -- this guy's once-glossy prospect status is long gone. But goalies do develop on a longer, slower curve than other players. And General Manager Steve Yzerman has already reached out to the goalie to see if he'll return to North America.

Helenius sent to Swedish league

News: The Lightning assigned goalie Riku Helenius to Sodertalje SK of the Swedish Elite League on Sunday. Helenius had spent the season with Norfolk of the AHL.

Analysis: Helenius has played in 12 games with the Admirals this season, posting a 5-7-0 record with a 2.75 goals-against average and a .896 save percentage. He last played on Dec. 19 as the Norfolk coaches began to give Dustin Tokarski and Jaroslav Janus more playing time. Helenius is a former 2006 first-round pick, but he seems to be losing favor in the Tampa organization. Perhaps a stint overseas will help Helenius gain favor again, but he remains just a long-term Fantasy keeper.

Helenius sent back to AHL

Analysis: Helenius was up to cover for Antero Niittymaki, who missed Saturday's win over the Thrashers to be with his wife for the birth of their daughter. Helenius is a long way off from making an impact in Fantasy and remains nothing more than a long-term keeper.

Lightning summon Helenius from AHL

Analysis: Helenius, a first-round pick from 2006, is only up to cover for Antero Niittymaki, who missed Saturday's win over the Thrashers to be with his wife for the birth of their daughter. Helenius is a long way off from making an impact in Fantasy and remains nothing more than a long-term keeper.

Helenius makes NHL debut

News: Lightning goalie Mike Smith made 34 saves Friday against the Flyers, but couldn't finish out the game in a 6-1 loss. Riku Helenius, who was recalled Thursday, stopped the only two shots he faced over the final 6:52 after replacing Smith, who was in a 1-all game heading into the second period. But Philadelphia scored five unanswered goals, including one on the power play and one short-handed, before Jeff Carter's 32nd goal ran Smith from the game at 13:08 of the third period.

Analysis: Helenius, who made his NHL debut Friday, was recalled from the AHL Thursday as Kari Rammo had to go down to Norfolk to serve a six-game suspension. Ramo will be back in time and Helenius, a first-round pick from 2006, will be returned to the minors. Helenius is a long way off from making an impact in Fantasy and remains nothing more than a long-term keeper.

Helenius added to Lightning roster

News: The Lightning recalled G Riku Helenius from Norfolk (AHL) to replace G Karri Ramo, who was sent back to serve a six-game suspension for leaving the bench during a fight.

Analysis: Helenius is a 2006 first-round pick, but has spent some time in Double-A hockey (ECHL) this season. He will backup Mike Smith for the time being, but Helenius is a long way off from making an impact in Fantasy and remains nothing more than a long-term keeper.

Helenius sent down to ECHL

News: The Lightning reassigned goalie prospect Riku Helenius from Norfolk of the AHL to Mississippi of the ECHL Thursday, according to the Tampa Tribune.

Analysis: It's very unusual to see a first-round pick from 2006 in the ECHL at this point in his career, but Helenius can get regular PT for Mississippi while Kari Ramo is manning the net for Norfolk. Helenius is a long way off from making an impact in Fantasy and remains nothing more than a long-term keeper.